From the monthly archives:

October 2008

Nokia: Winner or Loser in third quarter?

by Techno Witch on October 28, 2008

Nokia the leading mobile phone company globally reported lower operating profit and net sales for its third quarter that ended on September 30.

Net sales in Nokia fell to $16.6 billion from $17.5 billion from the same time the year previous. Operating profit also saw a decline dropping from the previous year of $2.52 billion to the year at $1.99 billion. This making the operating margin for the third quarter being 12 percent down from 2007 third quarter that was at 14.4 percent.

If we look at Nokia?s device sale volume, selling 117.8 million units, which see?s an increase year-on-year. However Nokia?s share in the market declined 1 percent to 38 percent from the previous year?s third quarter although a drop of 2 percent from the second quarter of this year.

The CEO of Nokia Olli- Pekka Kallasvuo said that Nokia was well positioned for the current times and that it was due to Nokia?s strong operational market and management position that they can achieve solid margins and operating cash flow of 1.3 billion euro?s for the third quarter of 2008.

Nokia?s average mobile device is priced at $97.83 for the third quarter of 2008 which is down from the same period in 2007 which was at $111.41 mainly due to the weak dollar and lower priced product.

BlackBerry Storm, iPhone, G1, Nokia: Visible in direct sun?

by Techno Witch on October 28, 2008

If you own a touchscreen mobile like the Apple iPhone, T-Mobile G1 or maybe the Nokia 5800 or maybe one of Research in Motions BlackBerry devices, whatever mobile phone you have it?s very likely that you have problems viewing the screen when sitting in direct sunlight. Or maybe you have tried to work outside with your laptop and had to give up due to lack of screen visibility. Samsung have come up with a new technology that could see an end to the sun and screen problems we have all been faced with.

Yes, the clever guys over at Samsung Electronics and Unidym have created the world?s first ever carbon nanotube-based colour active matrix electrophoretic display (EPD) e-paper. That does sound extremely technical, but with the carbon nanotubes having such extraordinary mechanical, thermal and electrical properties the EPD gains huge advantages over today?s flat panel displays.

Plus because the screens carbon nanotubes allows the screens to be extremely thin, they can be used for a variety of technologies such as mobile phones, touchscreen mobile phone like the BlackBerry Storm, game consoles, laptops and much more. The reason the EPD can be seen in such direct sunlight is due to low power consumption.

We would love to know what you think of your mobile phones visibility in direct sun, have you had any problems? We have heard from some iPhone owners that it?s not so much the screen glare but more the fingerprint and smudges that makes the iPhone difficult to see, so if you have the Apple iPhone, T-Mobile G1, Nokia 5800 or maybe had the chance to test the BlackBerry Storm or any other handset for that matter, lets debate who has the most visible screen in the sun?

BlackBerry & iPhone: Rogers best friend?

by Techno Witch on October 28, 2008

Canadian cable giant Rogers Communications has the Apple iPhone 3G and Research in Motion’s BlackBerry to thank for it?s third-quarter profits as they soared whilst to other stocks took a battering amid the financial crisis.

With the BlackBerry and the iPhone both with the available with Rogers, the cable giant reported an earnings jump of 84 percent to CAN$495 million which is US$383 million for the three months ending September 30 compared to the Rogers previous year?s profit of CAN$269 million.

Toronto-based Roger?s revenue gained 14 percent to CAN$2.98 billion which is US$2.3 billion against 2007 revenue for the same period at CAN$2.61 billion.

Rogers activated 255,000 iPhones nationwide since July with this number continuing to grow. Overall Roger?s wireless revenue surged a whopping 20 percent to CANS$1.72 billion which is US$1.33 billion compared to the wireless revenue in 2007 which was at $1.44 billion.

Executives at Rogers have said that they were well-positioned to pull through hard times when talking about the economic downturn, adding that they are in a wait and see mode about the economy. Rogers CEO Ted Rogers has said that his balance sheet is rock solid.

Last week?s coolest gadget and $100 winners are?

by Techno Witch on October 28, 2008

Was a somewhat surprised by last weeks winner, Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto Single Serve Coffee but then again I don’t know many gadget lovers that don’t also enjoy a caffienne fix, congrats to Single Serve Coffee on their first CGOTW week win.

The Krups Nescafe Dolce Gusto not only makes a perfect cup of single serve coffee, it can also make lattes, cappuccinos, shots of espresso, chococinos (hot chocolate), and even iced cappuccinos. And not only does it make an amazing range of drinks, this is one of the first single serve coffee makers to have a ?round water reservoir?, and to also look truly different than any other single serve coffee maker we?ve seen. The unique styling puts it on a path of it?s own, and it?s no wonder the design is so different.

Medieval bedside table
In second place we have the differently cool bedside table medieval weapon set (this one got my vote).

If you live in fear of people breaking and entering your home and you are made of sterner stuff than the guy who needs to sleep with a shotgun under the bed, then this is definitely for you. The safe bedside table breaks into a club and a shield – ready for you to put some serious hurt on whoever is invading your home.

USB Microscpe
Finally in third place we have junior biologists ideal gadget, the USB Microscope.

This nifty USB gadget allows you zoom in (from 20x to 200x) on any object you happen to have on hand. It also comes with software allowing you to be a real boffin and record your findings as photos and videos onto your PC.

Thanks once again to everybody who took part and spent the time voting and commenting. As usual we have two $50 monetary thank you’s, and the randomly drawn winners are:

Draw for voting and commenting: Justin (big.j), the first person to win twice in a row, lucky so and so.

Draw for telling a friend: Clay(sketchupsbest) who was the fortunate one out of 14 who was good enough to tell a friend about the contest.

Thanks again everybody and good luck with the next CGOTW on Friday.

Want to hear about future contests first? Subscribe to our daily digest via email or RSS.

If you write for a gadget themed blog and wish to be included in next weeks contest check out the CGOTW instructions page.

E-note: Just don?t call them digital Post-its

by Techno Witch on October 28, 2008

Some say that our technological sense will overcome our common sense the day the digital Post-it is invented. I guess it is because the Post-it is designed to be thrown away, while technology should be built to last.

It appears that some designers at Sequoia Studios have come up with an idea that they would prefer not be called a Digital Post-it, but it is, for all intents and purposes, the most practical combination of Post-it and digital tech.

The E-notes use electric paper technology that has been under development for a long time now. These tiny pieces of e-paper are powered by a small solar captor that requires only one minute of light per day to work.

You can read more about the concept here, but here is a summary. The E-notes come in a pack of twenty-five, and a user can calibrate the date and time on all of them by writing on the first one with the stylus. As for each individual note, you can write or draw anything you want digitally, and then clear the message when you are done. So you can reuse the E-note when done, and even change its color!

So the E-note is a more practical way of leaving notes, and can be used and used again, until the stickum runs out. Well, these E-notes are still a concept just now, but I see a lot of potential.

Source

The Hottest Celebrity BlackBerry on eBay

by Techno Witch on October 28, 2008

Have you ever fancied giving Hollywood stars such as Jessica Simpson, Nick Cannon or even Salma Hayek a call? Maybe picking up your BlackBerry and knowing you had A-list Hollywood celebrities at your fingertips would make you smile?

Ok it might not be everyone?s cup of tea but if you a celebrity fan and fancy owning a BlackBerry which claims to also have the private numbers of Diddy, Ashley Olsen, Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton stored in it, then log onto the eBay website where you will find this BlackBerry, not really sure if it is the BlackBerry Bold, BlackBerry Pearl or maybe this lucky celebrity was lucky enough to get their hands on the BlackBerry Storm but I don?t really see much chance of that with the release not being until November.

Anyway it?s on sale for $2,000, the seller is supposedly a hacked off celebrity who is not revealing his name for obvious reasons, well that is of course if this really is a Hollywood BlackBerry for sale or if it’s just a con-man trying to make a buck. The eBay phone auction was reported in E!

Sanyo ALBO is retro-futuristic digital picture frame

by Techno Witch on October 28, 2008

I can?t help but think that Sanyo?s newest digital phone frame, the ALBO, sounds like a major brand of dog food. As far as I know, ALBO isn?t a fancy acronym for something, but it is one of the coolest digital picture frames that I have ever seen. Considering that there is currently a huge market for digital picture frames now, that is saying something.

The seven-inch LCD frame has one of the most interesting designs, straight out of a science-fiction TV show?s prediction of what television would look like in the future. Just look at the design, and that last sentence will make sense.

As you can see from the photo, it is possible to turn the screen on a swivel for various formats. You can see them in slideshow format with a quick turn, and the photo frame has some other features and effects.

For example, the ALBO has the ability to display RSS feeds via Wi-Fi, and it can receive photos from a cellular phone through an infrared port. The ALBO comes with 256 megabytes of memory, but I?m not certain how much photos or video that it will hold.

The Sanyo ALBO is scheduled to come out in November 14, for a price of about $422. It is probably only available in Japan.

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RIM?s BlackBerry Curve 8350i for Latin America on NII

by Techno Witch on October 28, 2008

If you are a iDEN BlackBerry customers in Latin America then you will be happy to hear that Research in Motion (RIM) and NII Holdings have announced that they will be bring the BlackBerry Curve 8350i to Latin America sometime within the first quarter on 2009.

The BlackBerry Curve 8350i will land in Peru, Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. This will be the first iDEN BlackBerry since the old 7100i model. Given that iDEN have around 10 million subscribers in South and North America we can safely say there will be a huge amount of BlackBerry users waiting for the Curve with its WiFi and Push-to-talk function.

The BlackBerry Curve is jam packed with features and is extremely powerful allowing NII subscribers in Latin America to stay in communication on the go. Users will also get a 2-megapixel camera on the Curve 8350i as well as seamless access to corporate and personal emails, this BlackBerry will also aid in helping users to accomplish jobs and goals more effectively saving time and money and helping to push the Latin American Businesses to new heights.

The RIM?s BlackBerry Curve gives you 128 MB of onboard memory, although you can upgrade up to 16 GB to make the most of the storage on your BlackBerry. You can also edit Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint documents directly on the BlackBerry Curve. Making this device an all round business companion.

Microsoft brings Office Suite to the Web on Windows Smartphones?

by Techno Witch on October 28, 2008

Microsoft has confirmed they will bring lightweight versions of four components of Microsoft Office Suite to Windows Mobile smartphones. The four components will be Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint and Microsoft OneNote.

Senior vice president of Microsoft’s business division, Chris Capossela, has said these four Microsoft Office Suite components will become available for Windows Mobile smartphones when the next version of Microsoft Office, ?Office 14? arrives later next year.

IDC analyst Melissa Webster, has remarked, “This is the big fish jumping into the pond.” A private tech preview of Office Web is to become available later this year.

Ear Pressure Equalizer Handles Age-old Air Travel Problem

by Techno Witch on October 28, 2008

For those of you that fly all the time, I am sure that you are very familiar with that sometimes very painful feeling of when your ears pop. From a scientific point-of-view, this is a result of increased cabin pressure pressing the eardrum inwards, thus the ears can get stopped up. Most passengers try and stop this problem by yawning or chewing gum, but there is a technological alternative.

The Ear Pressure Equalizer is a device about the size of a cellular phone that has the ability to suck air from the outer ear canal, creating a slight vacuum that gently pushes the eardrum back to its original position.

You may be wondering if this device could be harmful. After all, you are sticking a tiny vacuum cleaner in your ear, which could potentially suck out your brains. Okay, the vacuum pressure isn?t that strong, but seriously, the Ear Pressure Equalizer has a built-in safety vent to stop the build-up of too much pressure.

I have no idea if this product is electronic, or if the user hand pumps it to get it working. I found that the Pro-Idee website did not give me an answer, but I do have a price of £38.95 or $60.

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